The instant invention relates to mailing machines and in particular to a serrated rotary knife in a mailing machine used for cutting gummed tape therein.
Many types of mailing matter which require postage are of such a nature that they cannot be passed through a mailing machine in the manner of an envelope or they cannot be printed on by the postage meter associated with the mailing machine. This problem is overcome in mailing machines by providing the mailing machine with a roll of gummed tape which can receive the postage indicia printed by the postage meter. The printed tape is thereafter affixed to the mailing matter.
Obviously the rolled tape must be severed prior to affixing the tape to the mailing matter. The tape knives used on mailing machines to sever the tape are serrated and have proven to be difficult to adjust and have required the factory assembler or a service man to develop a feel for the proper adjustment of the knife. This process is time consuming since it requires repeated loosening and retightening of the adjusting screws, and there is always the risk of damage to the unhardened rotary blade resulting from an improper adjustment.
The instant invention therefore provides a mailing machine tape cutting device which needs no adjustment at assembly or thereafter due to a unique technique of pivoting and spring loading the stationary blade into its proper relationship with the rotary blade. The tape cutting device of the instant invention also provides a more rigid stationary blade configuration.